Knowing
by El loopy
Summary: Based on the book 'Being' by Kevin Brooks. Maria thought she had finally escaped from the one man capable of catching her, turns out she was wrong, and this time she might lose her freedom forever. COMPLETE
1. London

**A/N This is a sequel to my other story 'Living' because I couldn't just leave Seth and Maria the way I did, even though I originally fully intended to. 'Living' is supposed to be set after Kevin Brooks book 'Being'**

**Disclaimer: Although the characters of Ryan, Robert and Eddi are all creations of Kevin Brooks, the others are mine.**

Knowing

Chapter 1: London

He scrabbled through the desk, scattering paper everywhere in the fuzzy darkness.

_Damn it. _

The after glow from the shut down computer overlaid everything with splotches of luminous blue. Footsteps echoed in the corridor outside.

_Damn, damn, damn! _

Frantic fingers clutched around the smooth body of a pen and he pulled it out the drawer. A few words scribbled on a torn sheet of notepaper then he dropped it and bolted out the door.

Gunshots ricocheted off the walls behind him as he ran, shoving the paper into an envelope as he did so. He'd brought the envelope already stamped and addressed so why the hell had he forgotten a pen?!

He swore as a bullet tore through his side. The pain was distant and far off. He'd expected that from the number of bullet wounds he'd had.

"Stop shooting! I want him alive!" The cold voice echoed down the polished oak hallway and he felt an icy rage. That was the man. The one they'd sent after his daughter.

He almost turned back then, but for the letter in his clenched fist.

She had to know.

It was vital.

So he picked up speed and thundered down the hall. A Suit sent to stop him ended up crumpled on the ground, and still he barely slowed his pace…

It was when he skidded into a room that led to the fire exit he was pulled up short. The door out was surrounded by around ten Suits. It wasn't long before those that were pursuing him caught up and blocked the other door.

He was trapped.

A strange place for it to end. The Waiting room. The deep red carpet was soft under his shoes and he stood with his back to the fine wooden desk, feeling its smooth varnished surface under scarred, callused hands.

"It was very helpful of you to come to us Robert." The Suits parted to let through a young man in his mid twenties with flint eyes. "Very helpful."

Robert lifted his lip in a sneer and tensed his muscles.

_Seth_.

"Of course I do wonder at the security in this place that you managed to actually get this far…but no matter." The man tilted his head slightly and folded his arms. "Although I do wonder at your stupidity in coming here…surely you're not _that_ desperate for information…especially as we've already told you we know nothing…"

"Liar," Robert spat at him. "You're all liars. I don't trust a word you say."

"…so you must've been looking for something else," he continued regardless. "But what I wonder. What would you risk your freedom for?" His eyes alighted on the letter clenched in Robert's hand and he smiled. "Ah, but of course…your daughter. Who else would be worth it? What did she want to know I wonder? And could it be that…just possibly…the letter might lead us to her whereabouts?"

Robert's eyes were burning with untapped fury. He wasn't even aware of the bullet wound in his side and the blood that was trickling from it, slowly staining his shirt and trousers…then he smiled silkily. His opponent's smile immediately vanished.

"Unfortunate that you won't get hold of it then, isn't it?" he said and spinning he vaulted himself onto the desk and threw himself out the window behind it, smashing through the glass.

"Shit!" Seth swore. "Get down into the street, all of you before he escapes!"

The Suits exchanged sceptical glances at each other but obeyed their orders. Each was clearly thinking that no man could run after a fall like that if he survived.

"He's not human though," Seth muttered to himself and snapped his fingers at one of the remaining Suits. The man hoisted a long barrelled tranquilliser gun onto his shoulder and loaded it.

"Make sure you don't miss," Seth told the man as he settled himself at the shattered window and fixed the telescope on the concrete below.

Seth strode out the door.

----------

Robert felt the slithers of glass slice through his skin as the wind ripped past him. He kept his eyes tight shut and when impact came the pain shattered through him with such intensity he passed into unconsciousness.

The luxury of oblivion wasn't enjoyed for long. The voice that was a part of him and yet not, the thing that spoke and took over when his human brain was unable to cope, started its demanding from the back of his mind. It was a voice of steel, as sharp as the glass that had cut him and as hard as the concrete he'd smashed into. Robert forced himself to rejoin the living and wished he'd stayed unconscious. The pain was almost enough to make him pass out again but the part of him that the voice came from was already swallowing it up. Blood was pooling around him from the gashes and seeping into the cracked concrete. He'd cracked the concrete? He'd only jumped from the second floor.

He sat up.

_Damn!_

His vision went black before returning. He could see that the lower half of one leg was broken. Some of the cuts were so deep in his arms that he could see the silver filaments.

The Suits would love that.

He remembered the envelope and searched for it. It was lying a short distance away, away from the carnage and still free from bloodstains.

Robert heaved himself to his knees, slowly and laboriously. He knew he didn't have much time. He half crawled, half dragged himself to the letter and scooped it carefully up, holding it so as not to leave any telltale signs on it, then made his way in this fashion to the pillar red letterbox, illuminated by a streetlamp.

It wasn't too far away.

He just had to drag himself into that little puddle of light and he'd be there...

Not far now.

He entered into the glow as it highlighted his numerous wounds, but he didn't look at them. His eyes were on the letterbox.

Just…a little…further.

He grasped hold of the object and pulled himself up, spitting out a mouthful of blood.

The Suits thundered into the street behind him but hung back slightly in fear and awe as they saw him standing. Seth soon appeared behind them and Robert grinned at him through red stained teeth in the twilight cast by the street lamps. With deliberate relish and drama he slipped the envelope into the post-box then turned back.

"Now she's safe."

Seth barked into a walkie-talkie and a hissing filled the air. Robert yelped as a sting bit his neck and reached for the dart.

He was on the floor before his fingers could close around it…but he could still hear everything…

"Watch him." Seth's voice echoed dimly. "Sedatives don't work on him very well. When he's unconscious the machine takes over and he's even more dangerous. Handcuff him and carry him into the Room. We'll have someone take care of his injuries there."

Something moved his arms that were too heavy for him to lift and snapped a coldness to them.

"I also want each of the letters in here individually tracked but subtly. I wouldn't put it past this guy to send the letter to another address first then have it sent onto his daughter via a third party. Once each of the letters have reached their destination I want checks run to see if the girl is there and then get back to me immediately."

There was a momentary silence and a ringing in his ears then he felt someone lift him.

The voice was hissing and snarling, making its demands, ordering him around, and on its prompting he forced his eyes to open and his limbs to move…but they were so heavy that the resistance was feeble and sluggish. His eyes met those of Seth who was smiling and close to him.

"Good see you're awake Robert."

His mouth formed a foul word but he was unable to push it past his lips.

"I tell you what," Seth whispered, "how about I call Ryan? I think he'd be very happy to be reunited with you after all these years." Then he started to laugh.

The fight flared up in Robert with a burst of energy and he threw off one of the Suits and lunged for Seth…but it died just as quickly. He staggered and fell to the floor, vomited over the pavement then passed out.


	2. New York

Chapter 2: New York

Maria passed through the gilded doorway of her hotel and into the well-furnished lobby. She breathed in the smell and smiled to herself. She loved this place with its polished floor and smell of coffee drifting through from the breakfast room off to the right. That was her favourite room. It had two floors with a spiral staircase joining the two up and railings so you could peer down onto the ground floor below. Off to the left from the lobby was the lounge area…but she'd never been in there, as much as she'd wanted to test out those cushioned seats, because it would draw too much attention to herself, so with a small sigh she headed for the lifts.

"Miss Sanderson!"

Maria froze and turned her eyes to the receptionist, "Yes…" she forced out through dry lips.

"You wished to know about mail…you wanted to receive it as soon as it came…well this came in last night's post," the woman handed a crumpled envelope over to her then clicked back to her station.

Suddenly it was difficult to breath.

Maria stepped into the lift with her eyes fixated on the slanted handwriting adorning the back of the envelope. Her finger traced over the name, 'Rebecca Sanderson', then over one of the creases. This letter had clearly come a long way to get to her hands…and she didn't necessarily mean distance. Something occurred to her and she clenched it tightly. Someone might have died to get this to her. Bile rose into her throat and she pressed the button for the lift to take her up to the second floor. With a trembling hand she ripped the envelope open and removed the sheet of paper. It was faintly lined and looked like it'd been hastily torn from a notepad or jotter with barely legible black scribbles written diagonally in weaving lines. It was hard to believe that this fairly unassuming sheet could mean the difference between life and death…but it spelled out one of her worst fears and she hadn't even read it yet. The haste in which it'd been done implied that the likelihood of the messenger escaping was low, perilously low.

She bit her lip. Why? Why had she brought it up at their last meeting?

------------

_It had been Christmas so she'd had her annual meeting with her father. Robert. She'd told him about Seth cornering her and how she'd shot him but she didn't know whether he was still alive. She wanted to know. How desperately she wanted to know. Robert had sworn he'd get her the information because he said she needed to know who was in charge of tracking her so she could avoid them…but that wasn't her only reason for wanting to find out…not that she'd ever tell Robert the other reason. He'd told her he'd break into their offices and let her know who was still after her. She'd protested but he'd insisted._

"_I've been wanting to take a look in their computer archives for a while now," he'd said, "I don't think they're as ignorant as they'd like us to believe." That was Robert's driving force. His desire to discover what he really was and no protest from her was going to settle him. "June. I'll be in by June. That gives me enough time to plan this thing out properly." He'd smiled at her. Had he known then that he probably wasn't coming out of that place? "Rushing things means that you make mistakes and might lead to capture. If you have time Maria then take it." He'd taken a bite out of his hamburger and chewed it thoughtfully. "I'll send the letter through a third person so hopefully they won't be able to track you. Where will you be?"_

_She'd written the address down for him on a napkin._

"_I'll book myself a room. Every time I've been in New York I've wanted to go there so I'll stay there from the first of June onwards."_

_Robert had nodded. "Leave as soon as you get my letter." _

_Then they'd parted. _

-----------

As the lift pinged to a stop she gathered the courage and read the words. Though they were few they sent ice through her body.

_Seth's alive_

_RUN_

_Run like the Devil himself is after you_

_I don't think I'm going to make it to our next meeting_

_Stay safe_

She crumpled the paper into a ball angrily and stuffed it in her pocket. If she'd really thought about it she would've known Robert wouldn't get out of that death trap. She should've tried harder to dissuade him, should've said something more meaningful. She had never really liked him over much because she half blamed him for her mother's death but he'd taken care of her for almost eight years, she couldn't help but feel close to him…and now she was all alone.

Maria brushed her hand across her eyes as if to wipe away the tears she knew would never come. She swiped her card through the door and stepped into the welcoming room, slipping into the darkness created by her still closed curtains. She hung her coat up…wait a minute…hadn't she opened the curtains…she shrugged and slipped the card into the electricity slot causing all the lights to switch on simultaneously.

"Well if it isn't the beautiful Maria," a voice hissed out as the door slammed shut behind her.

She started and spun, crashing her elbow into the wall. Seth sat in the chair by the window, leaning back into the seat with one leg crossed casually over the other. "And how have you been?"

He was already here. Her breathing sped up until her chest constricted and a small whimper escaped her throat…fortunately it was too low for him to hear it. Seth tilted his head to one side, letting his blonde hair fall gracefully across a searing grey eye, letting the other rest coolly on her. Why was he always so…nonchalant? It was annoying and it gave her the strength she needed to stand upright. Her eyes flicked to the window behind him. She could probably make the jump…if she were machine that was. If she were human she'd just die…but that was the only way out. Seth heaved a dramatic sigh and stood to his feet. She didn't know why he put on these theatrical performances with her. It was like he was playing a role in a game.

"What is it with you all and windows?" he locked eyes with her and moved so he was effectively blocking the possible escape route. "Your father jumped out of one as well to evade capture…or more specifically seizure of the letter…" he let his lips curve slightly when he saw her expression. "Oh, he lived. Don't worry yourself about that. Seriously injured of course but we're treating him."

Maria felt the impact of his words hit home. Her control snapped and she bolted for the door, fumbling for the handle. A hand slammed the catch across above her so her arms wrenched fiercely as the door caught, leaving only a miniscule gap.

The hand put a slight pressure on the door and she let it shut again, turning around to find herself trapped in a cage formed from Seth's arms.

"I wouldn't go out there unaccompanied," he growled, "my men are waiting and they won't be quite as patient with you as I'm being."

Maria looked up at him boldly but with clear fear lurking underneath.

"No where to run," he said, stepping closer to her. It was agonising being this close to him. One hand brushed lightly down her cheek, his face softening…then suddenly it hardened again and he took the hand away sharply.

"You know it hurt when you shot me," he snapped. His eyes met hers with a burning ferocity. "It _really_ hurt." She could tell from his expression that he wasn't just meaning physically.

"You were going to catch me," she whispered back, avoiding his eyes. Suddenly she whipped her head up and faced him. "It was worth it."

"Really?" he questioned with narrowed eyes, "You're captured now though and I might hold a grudge. I could make it unbearable for you."

"For an extra year of freedom anything's worth it," she replied brazenly. "Anything."

"Shame," he whispered bending his head close to her ear. "That's really a shame."

Maria shivered and placed her hands on his chest to push him away slightly. "Don't."

Seth took a step back, eyes shadowed. "No need to worry Maria, you won't need to shoot me again, I've taken the precaution of removing anything remotely weapon-like from myself and from this room…just in case."

She shut her eyes and turned her head away. That was unfair and somehow just at the same time.

"How did you find me?" she whispered finally.

"Tracked the envelope," Seth shrugged. "I took personal interest in this letter as it was the only one travelling overseas. I didn't reckon that you'd be hiding somewhere in England and look! I was right."

She gave a snort of disgust and kept her eyes averted.

"So now what?"

She'd said it. The all important question. A question to which she already knew the answer. An answer that robbed her of her life.

A slow satisfied smile spread itself across Seth's face.

"You've finally given up haven't you?"

Maria didn't answer. She could not cry but the overwhelming urge was there, sitting on her chest, suffocating her. Her throat had closed up.

Seth caught one of her hands in his and brought it to his lips. Closing his eyes he pressed a kiss to her skin. Maria turned her head to look at him with a mixture of revulsion and attraction. Seth slowly opened his eyes and lifted them to her face, a smile lingering, then in one swift movement brought his other hand from his pocket and snapped some handcuffs to her wrist.

Their gazes met for a brief second, hers horrified, his cold and hard, before he jerked her round, twisting her arm behind her back and snapping the handcuffs over her free wrist.

Maria flinched at the pain that was beginning to seep through her arms and shoulders, though that was only physical pain and easy to deal with. The mental anguish at being caught, and that it was Seth who snapped the cuffs on…that pain cut deep.

"You can feel it now can't you," Seth hissed into her ear from behind. "The betrayal."

Maria pressed her forehead against the door, feeling the smooth wood on her skin, squeezing her eyes shut, focusing on anything but what was happening. The task was impossible. Everything she cared about had been taken from her in the space of a few minutes. Her freedom. On some lesser level her father.

Seth.

His breath was on her skin and as his lips brushed her neck she jumped in shock.

"Ready?"

Maria imagined that if she could cry tears would be sliding down her face.

"Never," she whispered back as a reply.

Seth pulled her away from the door and slid the catch back. Twisting the handle he revealed the warm carpeted corridor and pushed her out into it.

Corridors in hotel always felt exciting and relaxing, the anticipation of a holiday, but underneath the decoration everything feels bleak and fake if you look hard enough. It's not really warm and comforting, but strange, different, even cold. Everything in a hotel is a façade to make you feel relaxed and welcome.

As Maria stumbled into the corridor it hit her forcefully. Perspective changes when you lose your freedom. Things that once mattered no longer do. Everything is striped bare of its illusion and is seen for what it really is…and that corridor felt cold.

Maria knew what she must look like as she was pushed down the never ending stretch of carpet. She stumbled repeatedly, body limp and unresponsive as her hair straggled over her face, hiding tears she knew wouldn't come, and every step brought her closer to her imprisonment…and quite possibly her death.

She didn't hear Seth's words and she didn't register the reception area of the hotel as she was marched through it. Everything was a blur.

Most of her life had been an act. A challenge to stay hidden. She was different personalities and different identities and she knew them all by heart. She knew that appearance in this world was everything and though she had now dropped all pretence, she didn't care. Every emotion and fear was on display…and she didn't care. It was all meaningless if she was a prisoner.

She vaguely registered the car before she was inside it and as the engine purred into life she stirred from within her fog of despair as the possibility of escape crept into her mind. She had to stay alert.

Feigning her previous attitude Maria focused on her surroundings, the smoothness of the leather car seat, the sharp tang smell of newness, the black tinted windows…Her eyes wandered casually over the doors and she scowled at the lack of handle and lock.

Maybe she could break the handcuffs and attack her captors. Discreetly she observed that there were only two in the back with her, one on either side. Seth was positioned on her right and she couldn't help but feel his proximity, and the way his leg pressed against hers…Maria's face flushed and she took a deep breath, letting it out steadily, suppressing the feelings. Now was not the time.

The movement must have got their attention.

There was a flash of activity and Maria found herself held down by the Suit as Seth entered her line of vision, a needle in one hand.

Her eyes widened as horror filled her body, but the paralyzing panic prevented her from struggling.

"We can't have you escaping can we?" Seth locked eyes with her, before turning away to administer the drug.

Maria felt the prick in her arm and then Seth was facing her again.

"Hold her until the sedative starts to take effect," he told the Suit.

Maria tried to read his facial expression but it was starting to blur. Concentration was becoming more difficult as her muscles started to relax.

Pools of molten iron spread across her vision and then everything went black.


	3. Aeroplane

**A/N Thank you for the reviews and alerts guys I didn't think anyone would be interested =)**

* * *

Chapter 3: Aeroplane

When Maria woke up everything was a fuzzy hash and she felt sick. She kept her eyes firmly shut as she tried to orientate herself, focusing her senses on what was happening around her. The air seemed thicker, heavier as it pressed in on her and there was a faint roaring noise that seemed muted. Much else she was unable to tell due to a tightness in her ears from gathering pressure. She concluded that she was on a plane.

Maria slowly let her memories trickle back and at once tensed up. He'd drugged her! What had they done while she was…? The thought made her go hot then cold and she mentally swept her body for any feelings of experimentation, any cuts or probes. Fortunately, aside from the dull throbbing in her arm from where the needle had been forced through tense muscle there didn't seem to be anything else. It seemed that the carriers were waiting to get back to headquarters before 'examining' her further.

The thought made her sick and she gripped the armrests tighter, which was when she froze again. Experimentally she twisted her wrists and feeling no restraints let her eyes open.

The handcuffs were gone!

"Do you know how to fly an aeroplane?"

Her head whipped up to meet the gaze of Seth across the plane's interior. He was sipping a glass of something and calmly regarding her.

"Well? Can you? Because if you can't then I wouldn't suggest trying to escape."

A stillness descended as Maria stared across at him and he stared straight back. Her face registered her slow grasping of the situation, mingled with bitterness, his face holding only a small smile at the corners of his mouth, everything else blank.

"Where am I?" she managed to say, flitting her gaze over the interior of the private jet, all space and luxury, aside from the few necessary chairs.

"Somewhere above the Atlantic Ocean," Seth replied casting a look outside one of the windows. "On your way back to England."

Maria drew a breath in sharply and spun away from him, focusing on the wisps of cloud drifting below.

"I'm interested as to the result of the sedative," Seth continued heedlessly. "It lasted by far longer on you than it would have your father, and not nearly as long as on a normal human. You also don't seem to be exhibiting any side effects."

Maria continued to watch the clouds, her mind a hot whirlwind. Freedom was gone. Her freedom. The thing she'd lived for. The thing that most people take for granted but to her was the most precious, the most desirous commodity of life…and yet she was the one who it was being taken away from. No one respected liberty as much as her, so why was she the one to suffer? And then there was Seth…

A burning started in her head and stomach and moved to her throat and eyes. Was this all just a game to him? Or was it revenge and retribution? Why had he made it all so complicated by kissing her?

Maria hit her head against the window.

"Oh. The silent treatment. You're upset with me?"

Scowling she raised her head and twisted to meet his eyes again, and was shocked to find that he'd moved to stand right next to her.

The response to jump to her feet and stagger away was immediate, and instantly regretted when the room tipped.

Seth caught her arm but she wrenched away and grabbed hold of a chair.

"Keep away from me," she spat.

Seth stood in front of her and raised his eyebrows.

"You _are _upset."

The glare she shot him was pure venom.

"You have robbed me of my freedom and my life!"

The exclamation burst from her without restraint and a strange look passed over Seth's face before vanishing again.

"Maria…"

"No!" she interrupted, eyes blazing. "Listen. I was just a job to you wasn't I? A very exciting new job. A little emotional manipulation made things easier for you to capture me. It was all very thrilling…but have you even considered what they'll do to me at the end of this!" She took a breath, lowering her voice. "I mean have you _really _thought about it. Not in terms of fact, but in terms of me." Maria shut her eyes. "I have. It keeps me awake at night. I have dreams about it." She met Seth's look squarely. "You've not just been hunting me, you've been researching me. Have you imagined the knife slicing into my flesh, possibly while I'm still conscious, just to see how much pain I can take? Have you thought about the dissection? Maybe they'll drag a blade through my skin, see if it heals in front of them." To her satisfaction Seth was taking on a slightly paler complexion. "And then…what if I'm fully human?" Seth was completely silent. Maria narrowed her eyes at him. "So maybe you don't…" she took a breath, "feel that way about me. It makes no difference really. You know me and you know what they're going to do."

Maria was the first to break the eye contact. She swept her head to one side and turned away. Making her way over to the nearest seat she placed herself in it and shut her eyes, trying to block out the ringing in her ears and the screaming in her head and the crushing knowledge of what awaited her at the other end of this journey.

She felt a presence next to her as Seth sat in the seat there. Maria kept her eyes shut, trying to ignore him but it didn't seem to be working.

"Maria…" he breathed into her ear and she felt a light touch on her arm that sent shivers down her back. "I didn't pretend anything." His finger was tracing patterns on her skin, sending sensation through her and when his lips brushed along her neck she couldn't stop the audible gasp from escaping. "Believe me."

She opened her eyes and pulled away.

"What have you done that would make me believe you?"

Seth looked at her steadily, not attempting to mask the attraction in his gaze, nor the sadness that swept in as he answered her,

"Nothing."


	4. Headquarters

Chapter 4: Headquarters

Silence. Tension. The air frozen by implications.

Maria kept her eyes firmly ahead as the car purred down the streets, passing people, houses – lives not her own. Normal, safe, everything she'd longed for, fought for, taken for granted by so many and now lost to her forever.

Seth was looking grim. He had not said a word since the plane. She'd moved away to the other side after they'd spoken and he's made no attempt to follow. There had been a pensive look on his face from that point, occasionally broken by a frown.

Maria's head shot up as the car slowed and her stomach gave a sickening jolt that left her with a horrifying sense of falling in her middle.

They were here.

Her mind went numb. Sound dimmed. Hot prickles started in her hands and moved over her face. Breathing suddenly became very difficult.

"…you…arrival…I'll…Maria…follow…"

Fragmented bits of sentences floated past her but her eyes and focus were solely on the building next to them. Her cage. Her grave.

"Maria?"

The car suddenly stopped shrinking and expanded slightly as her eyes centred on Seth. He was watching her with strangely distant eyes. The Suit had apparently absented the car without her noticing.

"Maria, I'm going to sedate you then carry you in."

Something inside her snapped.

"No," she breathed, "no, no, no, no…" The word kept pouring from her mouth relentlessly, repeating, speeding up and she grabbed at the door, scrabbling for a handle she knew wasn't there.

"Maria!"

It barely registered as she slammed her weight against the door again and again, bashing her hands futilely against the glass, dry sobs tearing at her throat.

"Maria!" Something grasped her shoulders and forced her to turn and meet Seth's ice grey eyes.

Everything drained out of her as he held her still, but though the panic dimmed it did not die, and her eyes searched his frantically, darting crazily over the interior of the car before resting back on him.

"Don't do this," she whispered desperately, faster than normal. "Don't do this. I can't…I can't…I can't…" her breathing came in terrified heaves as she started to hyperventilate.

"Maria!" His voice came from a distance as she bent over double, struggling to breathe…then she passed out.

-------

A small groan escaped her lips as her eyelids flicked open, only to slam shut again. The white light pierced straight through to her head.

The startling realisation of where she was flashed through her, and the sickness and tension in her stomach returned with added force.

Still she did not open her eyes. She did not want to see, did not want to comprehend. Maybe if she kept her eyes shut she'd go back to sleep, and she'd be spared the torture of knowing what was happening. She could shelter in the obliviousness of sleep.

But then what if they did things to her while she slept?

The thought sent panic rioting around her body and she sat up abruptly, opening her eyes onto the painful blankness.

"Urg."

Maria dropped her head down between her knees and shut her eyes again as pain seared through her head and faintness threatened.

After a few moments though she was able to adjust her eyes to the light and examine the room. Four white walls, a white floor, a white ceiling, a white door, a strange, solid looking, metallic chair and the white bed she was sitting on…and the security camera. That was it.

"Homely," she muttered to herself, surprised that she was even able to summon up the even mildly sarcastic thought in the situation. Best be as human as possible while her position wasn't deteriorating. She'd probably have time to go insane later. At the moment she was still able to attempt to forget what might happen later on…not that the room offered many distractions.

Robert was in here somewhere.

The thought made her turn to regard the wall thoughtfully. Maybe he was next door…

For a few moments Maria allowed herself the liberty of letting her mind fantasise as to how she might be able to communicate to him before the thought of what state he might be in after they'd experimented on him came to mind.

The topic of her father was no longer safe for her to dwell on anymore.

Seth was naturally the next person she started to think about but the ache in her chest became so intense that she had to halt her mental progress on him as well.

"Why?" she whispered quietly. "Why?" she repeated, but this time listened to the word emerging from her mouth as it disappeared into the silence. A wry, bitter smile twisted at the corner of her mouth. "I'm probably going mad," she told the air and looked up at the camera. "Don't you think?"

---------

Time must have passed. She was unaware of how fast or slow but it must have, because there came a tap at her cell door – a solid block of white with a small peephole – and it opened to reveal someone in a white coat. A man.

Then her blood turned to ice again as she realised what this meant.

"Hello, Maria. How are we?"

Nothing. No sound came out of her mouth. Her mind was totally blank – as white as the walls.

The man smiled, but it was sinister and fake.

"I'm just going to do a few tests, all right?" he stated in the most genial tone, and whilst making it sound like a question when it clearly wasn't anything of the sort.

Maria's eyes darted to the door and observed that there was a guard there holding a gun.

"No escape Maria."

Her eyes flashed back to the man as he set a white bag down on the floor.

"Now are you going to cooperate?"

She didn't need to reply. Her expression was enough. The man shrugged as if it made no difference to him whether she did or not.

"Assistance, please," he uttered mildly as he knelt on the floor and started to shift things around in his bag.

Three men walked into the room, two were rough looking and clearly hired for muscle, the third was Seth. Their eyes locked momentarily as disbelief filled the last few inches of her that were not frozen with fear. She'd never imagined that he'd come to…watch. She was suddenly glad that she was unable to cry.

The other two didn't give her pause to consider tactics to evade them, they just grabbed her. It was incredible how quickly her body unfroze and started to fight as her fear was channelled into escaping what ever was about to happen to her.

Regardless of her efforts though Maria found herself forced into the metallic chair bolted to the floor of her room, and thick leather straps binding her arms to it, cutting into her skin as she struggled.

The man drifted about her room like a ghost. The white coat blended in with the wall, with the surroundings. Did he think to vanish? Turn invisible? Maybe he wasn't really there? Maybe she was just thinking about her worst fear happening. Yet at the same time she knew that it was real. She knew that as much as she wanted the whole thing to be a fabrication it was happening. It scared her to think that she was losing her grip on reality, but not as much as the thin, sharp, steal blade that the man drew out from his bag.

She yanked against her restraints desperately as he drew closer, throwing herself into it, straining until she collapsed back against the chair exhausted. The man was standing next to her smirking, just waiting for her to hold still.

Then there was the movement. A flash of silver and pain as steel cut flesh and blood sprayed and she screamed.

--------

Red…red on white. The white made it look darker. So much colour pouring from her arm and dripping onto the white floor. Drip. Drip. Drip. Vision fading in and out as she slumped against the chair. Red pooling. Something about…bleeding to death? Concerned faces turning gleeful as the pain faded. Silver wiggles inside her. Filaments? They looked like filaments someone had said. They healed you.

Not fast enough. A white bandage soon turned pink. Neither red nor white. Different in the room. Like her.

…and behind it all Seth's face. His eyes reflecting horror, his face regretful, full of disgust…and then darkness.

---------

When Maria came round she was still strapped in the chair, but her restraints had been loosened and the muscle were gone. The only ones left were the man and Seth and she was too weak to try and attack.

"At the rate she heals it might be a couple of days before the wound is completely gone. It seems to take her a good deal longer than her father. Maybe it was a misjudgement to cut so deep on the first experiment but it will get us the information we require. Monitoring her process of healing will be interesting and the time it takes can be compared to that of Robert's."

Seth was finishing loosening her bindings and he steadied her against him as her legs refused to take her weight. He helped her over to her bed and sat her down.

"Maria…" Seth started to say quietly.

"I'll return tomorrow," the man interrupted as he strode from the room and Seth turned to acknowledge his statement with a nod. When he turned back to Maria her face had paled again.

"Tomorrow," she whispered in terror, once again frozen.

It felt like she was in a nightmare that she would never wake up from. Everything was a repetitive, horrible, never-ending cycle of pain and imprisonment and oppression. She could see no way of escape, she could see no hope in the future, she couldn't even imagine tomorrow. All she knew was laid out before her in sterile clarity. She would only face more pain, more steal blades, more 'examinations'…and the thought made her want to die. Barely able to mentally survive what they had already done to her, the thought of increasing it made her throat tighten and her breathing panicked.

She was relieved when Seth sedated her.

The sharp pain in her upper arm as she slipped into unconsciousness was unexpected but forgotten.

----------

The next morning she sat and waited for them, her eyes trained on the door. Better to try and escape and get shot than continue in this hellish place. She was desperate.

Suddenly all light was extinguished.

Maria sat perfectly still. Was this a trick? Had they set up a series of psychological activities to test her?

There was movement outside the door and then a cry and a crash. She tensed up on the bed, poised, ready and when the door swung open she sprang at the breach, only to feel arms grab her and spin her, pinning her to the wall.

"Will you keep it down?!" came a hiss in the dark.

Her mind was blank for a moment then…"Robert?"

"Yes, come on."

She felt him grasp her hand and start to pull her down the darkened corridors.

"Why is this so easy?" she whispered suspiciously.

"Quiet!"

Maria bristled at his response but kept her mouth shut. Every muscle was in a coiled state, ready to jump at the slightest sign of…

Robert let go of her hand and swung his fist into the dark. There was the sound of splintering bone and then a thud as something hit the floor and then he continued as if nothing had happened.

Blinking in astonishment Maria followed him silently through the base.

Apparently being capture had ticked Robert off _big time_.

--------

They were two hours walk from the headquarters and well hidden before Maria let the realisation sink in. They'd escaped.

She was free!

Relief seeped into her so quick that she lost the strength in her legs and sank to the ground.

"We're out…" she muttered to herself before grinning and then bursting out laughing, "We're out!" she yelled.

Robert looked down at her coldly, "Be quiet. We're not safe yet." But there was a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

Maria sobered up and regarded him seriously. He seemed older than she remembered. His eyes were shadowed and darker and slivers of shiny white scars crisscrossed over his arms, indicating that they'd treated him similarly to her.

"That them," he asked suddenly, indicating her bandage.

Maria glanced down at it and shuddered before nodding.

"How long have they had you?"

"Two days," she replied, "Maybe longer, I was unconscious for a lot of it."

"And they've already done that," he scowled. "Is it healing?"

"Not as quickly as they thought it would," she sighed and closed her eyes painfully. The quicker he got this questioning out of the way the sooner she could forget it happened. "But why are you so concerned? They did the same to you."

"I handled it better," he replied – not in a smug or boastful way, just stating a fact. "I've had similar done before," he answered her sceptical look and sighed as she raised her eyebrows at him. "Seth told me what happened."

The blood drained from Maria's face.

"It's what made me more determined to get out." Robert dropped his voice to a barely audible mutter. "Nobody does that to my daughter."

Maria hid her surprised look. She probably wasn't supposed to hear that but still the admittance came as a shock, though thinking about it she wasn't sure why. He'd done an awful lot to keep her safe in the past. Things that she'd never really appreciated.

"How did you get out?" she asked, changing the subject.

To her bewilderment Robert just shrugged. "The lights cut out and then my door opened and I heard whispered instructions to your room. That was it. I thought they were playing some sort of mind game. Turns out it wasn't."

Maria stared at him. "Someone _inside_ freed you? Who would do that?"

"I'm not sure," he replied slowly, fixing her with a penetrating look, "but I can make a guess."

Maria felt shivers run up her spine.

"Come on. I'll stay with you until we can get hold of some money and other necessities then I'll leave you be, all right?"

Maria gave a slow nod of assent, her mind still in a whirl.


	5. Night Club

Chapter 5: Night Club

Maria spun on the dance floor, laughing with careless abandon, throwing herself into the rhythm mindlessly, still trying to forget the narrow escape she'd experienced two weeks ago. Occupying her mind with other things didn't seem to distract her for long, and it certainly didn't stop the nightmares, so she figured that mindless frivolity couldn't hurt.

Some lad came up to join her and she danced wildly with him, ignoring every warning that flashed through her mind about what this carelessness could cost her.

The strobe lighting flashed blue, green, red. Everything was a field of rainbow lights and the music blasted out and beat a rhythm into her brain.

She was at least human enough to dance. Machines didn't do that, or, at least Robert didn't. She guessed it might be something to do with humanity's history; that response to dance to a beat or maybe it was merely something to do with the heartbeat in the womb, but whatever, it didn't actually matter.

Suddenly she felt incredibly bored. Exhaustion dragged at her limbs and she halted mid-song. After a mere moment's hesitation she turned away from her partner and started to squeeze away through the gyrating, sweating bodies. Her ex-partner made no move to follow or hold her attention, he'd already moved onto the next pretty girl. That was just it though wasn't it? In those few brief seconds of a dance with her he'd sensed that she was different and he'd withdrawn, retreated.

Maria leaned against the bar and ordered a drink. It was her fifth double Vodka and Coke but the alcohol was having barely any effect. Other than feeling a trifle more relaxed she hadn't suffered from any of the sedative effects. The advantage of being part machine she supposed. At least that was one thing she'd learned from the whole traumatic experience – that she wasn't fully human.

The glass was downed in an instant and she placed it down carefully. She could barely hear anything over the beat of the music. It was pounding in her ears, drilling into her head. On a lower tone was the thrum of shouting voices struggling to be heard.

Why did people come here?

She watched the shifting mass, always changing, always moving. This wasn't a place people were still.

It only took her a moment to spot it though – why she was suddenly overwhelmingly sick of this place having originally come here liking it as somewhere to get lost in, where she could be careless and free and forget. The answer was all around her. People didn't come here alone, or if they did then they didn't stay alone for long. Bunches of girl friends grouped in corners, around tables, on the dance floor. Couples made out in any available space. Lads grouped at the bar or making eyes at fanciable girls, pointing out the ones they liked. Everywhere chatting, laughing, flirting, kissing. No one isolated, except her, because of who…what…she was.

For the first time in her life Maria felt the full force of the shattering loneliness. It had always been there but now it broke over her in a crashing wave, leaving shards embedded inside that shredded at her.

She was surrounded by others but it was like everything was suddenly muted. They did not want her near. She did not belong. She was an island.

No tears came of course but her recklessness increased and once again she found the energy to throw herself into the dance.

Many when faced with loneliness let it eat away at their self esteem. They become easily intimidated and retreat into themselves, letting the loneliness grow and fester. Or they keep trying to find acceptance, tentatively reaching out a friendly hand and letting each rebuff cut them deep.

Maria did neither. She had lived with the loneliness so long that she simply adapted to this new intensified level and set out to prove to the masses that she didn't give a damn whether they accepted her or not.

It wasn't strange to find another body dancing in sync with her own. What was strange was that they didn't draw away after a few moments. Maria waited for the moment and continued to dance, refusing to let herself feel any sort of hope or let the mild acceptance melt any layer of the freezing loneliness. She even moved away a few steps to give them the opportunity to escape…they followed her.

The flash of warmth through her frozen interior was unstoppable and she actually paid attention to her partner. It was impossible to see them properly in the confusion of bodies and flashing lights, and he kept his head turned to the side, tilted away as if shy, so shadows fell over his face, making features indiscernible. He was about a head taller than her so if she got close and looked up she'd probably be able to see…but that was a prelude to a kiss and she really didn't want to go there.

He moved around behind her and placed his hands gently on her hips so they moved more easily together, closing the gap between them until she was pressed against him and they moved fluidly like one being.

Shocks tingled through her as he ran his hands up her arms and taking her wrists, moved them up and around his head. She laced her fingers behind his neck and still they danced.

It took her a little while to realise what she was doing, where this could end up going. The soft fuzzy bubble that the stranger had somehow conjured up to protect her from the loneliness popped leaving the residue of fear. Quickly she pulled away from the intimate dance pose. The plan was to go back to the previous dancing until she could slip away unobserved. Bolting now would only arouse suspicion and possibly a chase on his part. That _was_ the plan…until she saw his face.

He hadn't been ready for her change of plan, it was unexpected, so when she turned back to him the flashing light fell directly into his face.

The plan dissolved.

She didn't think she just ran.

It didn't matter that the lighting was bad, that she could've been mistaken. Seth was Seth.

Maria bolted into the girl's toilets and leaned over the sinks breathing heavily, praying that he'd think she'd run for the fire exit. Her hands gripped the cool porcelain bowl tightly.

She couldn't go back. She couldn'tgo back. She'd die before she went back there.

Slowly the panic reduced and she started to consider things more clearly. It had entered her mind to run for the fire exit but if he'd come here to trap her then he'd have the exits covered. Better to lose him and slip out unseen in a later crowd.

Mentally she kicked herself. Of course the dancer had been Seth. She should've known or at least _guessed! _Only he in this entire world accepted her as she was. Only he could make her _feel…_

A frown crossed her face. It was flushed and she wanted to splash it with water but makeup forbade that. Why had he done it? Why had he danced with her? It made no sense!

She ran a hand through her hair and subconsciously started to fix it. Did he hope that seeing him would make her run out into the arms of the waiting Suits? She squeezed her eyes tight shut and remembered how he hadn't wanted her to see his face. That didn't make sense either.

And how had he known where she was? A thought crossed her mind and made the blood drain from her face, made her legs weak. Did they have a way to _track_ her? Had they inserted something while she was unconscious? There was a vague memory about pain and she lightly touched her arm. Had they put a chip in her?

The thought made her shudder. Thinking was making her worse so she stopped, focusing instead on just breathing in and out. Finally she felt the calm seep over her body and opened her eyes to regard her reflection in the mirror. All right, she looked pale under her makeup and her lips were drawn out into a thin tense line but at least her eyes were free from fear, just alert and slightly suspicious.

Maria cast her eyes over the bathroom's reflection. The place was pretty crowded with girl's reapplying their make up and chatting to their friends – discussing tactics. A few gave her strange looks but for the most part they ignored her.

Maria straightened up and strode decisively through them, keeping her head high. It was only when she got to the door she became more cautious. Gently she eased it open and glanced out into the corridor. The Girls toilets were separated from the rest of the club by a long corridor. It was tiled flooring and should have been lit softly by barely glowing bulbs, but only two of these were working. The place was a tunnel of darkness with two tiny islands of light. At the end she could see the lights and movement of the main club through the small window of the almost sound proof door.

Maria stepped away from the door to let a gaggle of girls past, and then followed them. They opened the door letting in a flood of sound and emerged out into the club while she was still only halfway up the now seemingly empty corridor. Seemingly.

As the door closed again and shut off the sound a shadow moved in the corner of her eye and a hand encircled her wrist before she could run or scream. A second went over her mouth, but gently.

"Sorry to startle you," a low voice murmured in her ear. "Don't scream."

Then the hands were removed and Maria spun to face Seth. The poor light from the nearby bulb fell directly into his face leaving no room for doubt.

"Seth," her voice cracked, unable to hold back the fear.

A pained expression flooded over his face and he shook his head.

"No, not like that."

Maria was confused.

"Don't say it like that," he continued in a husky whisper stepping closer. "Not here. Not now."

He reached out a hand and gently laid it against her face, stroking her skin soothingly with his thumb. Maria knew she should pull away but his touch melted her feet to the floor…and she was bewildered.

"What are you…?" her voice trailed off as she met his eyes. They weren't the usual flint grey, they were warm, tender…longing…

He stepped closer to her, eye locked on hers, gazing down.

'_Run,'_ part of her screamed but she ignored it and shut her eyes as his mouth descended on hers.

It wasn't like last time. Last time was tainted with the knowledge of what she had to do, her guilt and betrayal.

There was no gun between them here.

The kiss was soft then hungry. Eager, passionate, fire. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer as the kiss deepened further.

Too soon he drew back and laid his forehead against hers, his arms around her waist.

"Why?" broke from her lips unbidden. Why was he doing this? He was her enemy and her hunter, her jailer and her stalker. Why had he come here if not to capture her? And if he came here to capture her then why had he kissed her? So many questions from one small word.

He was silent, gazing at her with unreadable eyes.

Maria moved one hand from his neck and placed it gently on his stomach where the bullet had entered. Seth winced and caught the hand.

"Not here," he growled. "Not now."

Then he kissed her again. If possible this one was more passionate than the last. He kissed her furiously, holding her in a burning grip that she didn't altogether mind and she kissed him back with equal hunger, equal desperation.

That's what it was. Desperation.

In the back of her mind lurked the knowledge that they were supposed to be enemies, regardless of how either felt and this might be the only moment they'd have unburdened with that duty.

"Seth…" she whispered when he broke away again. It was a plea laden with every emotion racing through her. A heavy word.

"Yes," he smiled slightly, "that's how I wanted you to say my name." He bent his head to her ear.

"I never wanted…" he started but seemed unable to continue. A shudder passed through him and he clasped her against him tightly.

"Maria…"

How could a word be filled with so much pain, longing, desire, regret?

"Stay safe." The words were ordered in tenderness then he suddenly let her go and strode off down the corridor.

Maria stood frozen in bewilderment as he disappeared.

He didn't even look back.


	6. Seth's place

**A/N Last chapter. The one after this one will be an epilogue. Hope you enjoyed reading.**

* * *

Chapter 6: Seth's place

She was going to find him and she was going to make him explain himself.

It didn't take Maria long to come to this conclusion. Only two days after the night club incident and she was cancelling her plane ticket. The logical part of her mind – the one that told Robert why she was sticking around for longer – insisted that it was because she needed to find out whether he was tracking her and how. It didn't matter where she went if they had a lock on her. They had tagged Robert but he'd been conscious at the time and had removed the chip as soon as they were well away from the headquarters. Maria couldn't recall whether they had a way to track her or not. She couldn't remember anything being inserted but then she'd spent most of her time around her captors in a haze of pain or unconscious.

"So you're not coming with me?" Robert had looked at her sternly as she shook her head. He'd sighed and offered to get her somewhere marginally safer but again she'd refused.

"I need to talk to Seth and to do that I need to find out where he lives." She'd smiled at her father's worried look. "I'm going to be a lot safer here than anywhere else Robert. They're not going to be looking for me next to the base are they?"

Robert acknowledged this with a tilt of his head. "Then I'll stay here with you."

"No," she refused but her father was as stubborn as she was and insisted that he wouldn't feel happy until he'd gotten her safely out of the country.

It didn't take very long for her to find out where Seth lived. She just followed him home from the headquarters, over a short period of time, tracking a different stage each day. On the fourth day she followed him to his house from the final underground stop and stood below in the garden, staring up at his window.

Tonight the waiting was over. She was going to find out what she needed to know.

---------

Seth stirred awake. He opened his eyes slowly and looked into the darkness of his room and the familiar shadows of the furniture. Something had woken him.

The window next to the bed was open and a breeze blew gently into the room, fluttering the curtains. A frown crossed his face and he swept his eyes more carefully over the room. There was a new shape concealed amongst the furniture and he reached slowly for the gun kept down the side of the bed.

"I took the liberty of removing any weapons," a quiet voice drifted through the silence.

Seth's hand touched empty space, but the loss of his gun was no longer foremost in his mind.

"Maria?" he breathed and lifted himself up onto his elbows.

The figure moved out of the darkness and stepped slowly into the light filtering in from the half open curtains. Seth gazed at the girl with mingled awe and affection, unable to quite believe that she was here and bewildered as to why.

"Maria, you shouldn't be here," he started to move from the bed and a flash of silver caught his eye as she lifted his gun from her side and levelled it at his head.

"Don't move," she whispered in a dead voice. "You're going to answer some questions for me."

---------

Maria stared Seth down, once again with a gun filling the space between them. She regretted it but it was necessary. She had to act like she wanted to kill him or he wouldn't answer her. As it was he didn't look like he was going to comply anyway.

Seth was looking calmly into her eyes, quite undisturbed by the gun.

"This isn't going to make me answer you Maria," he remarked quietly.

"Why? You think I won't shoot you?" she released the safety catch and took aim.

"No…how could I think that? I've had past experience with your skills."

Unintentionally she flinched and the gun wavered slightly.

"Get up," she whispered, trying hard to mask the hurt in her voice.

Seth slowly put aside the covers and got to his feet. Maria blushed when she saw he was only wearing pyjama trousers and was thankful for the darkness. Indicating with a tilt of her head she ordered him to make his way into the sitting room and then followed him, steadying the gun at the centre of his back.

The movement was swift and unexpected. Seth threw out a hand and slammed on the light. Momentarily blinded Maria dropped her guard as the brightness stabbed at her eyes. Strong hands grabbed at her wrists as the gun was wrestled from her grasp and dropped to the floor with a clunk. The wall smashed into her back as she was pushed forcefully against it and all the air was knocked from her lungs as pain splintered through her.

"You shouldn't mess with me Maria." Seth growled into her ear. "You shouldn't have come here."

She couldn't see clearly because of dark spots but she could feel him holding her prisoner, pinning her to the wall with his body and holding her wrists captive. Gradually her eyes focused again and she found herself looking once again into flint grey set into an angry face.

"They're tracking me," she stated in a deadpan voice.

Seth's expression shifted slightly.

"I can't escape if I'm being tracked."

The fight had gone out of her. How many times had she stood like this with him? With him towering over her, totally in control while she was stripped of everything and left venerable. Even when she tried to be the one who had the upper hand he always brought her back down…and she was tired. She was tired of trying to be strong and failing, and she was tired of running. Everything drained out of her and she became unresisting in his hold. He was searching her face with his eyes but her own had dropped to the floor so she didn't have to meet his gaze.

"That is the only reason you came here?" he asked quietly, but it was more of a statement than a question. She didn't answer him. A silence fell between them and she could imagine his eyes scouring her face, but still she did not look at him. Suddenly his posture shifted slightly and his grip on her loosened marginally.

"I'm the one tracking you," he said unexpectedly and she lifted her head. "The people I work for have no idea. I'm the one that's keeping an eye on you. I chipped you while you were unconscious…"

The sharp pain in her upper arm…that had been a chip?

A small frown crossed her face and then cleared. If she could get rid of it then she'd be totally free! It didn't matter that the freedom would be the same freedom that she'd had before her capture. Having now experienced the alternative she longed for what she had so often complained of. Resolution focused her mind and hope made her strong again.

"Remove it," she stated shortly, voice hard. She pushed him roughly in the chest so he staggered away from her. "Remove it now."

Both stood regarding each other in the brightened room, eyes locked in a silent battle for power, but as time passed Seth's expression began to change. His features softened a little and he turned away from her and walked from the room.

Bewildered at her success and his reaction, Maria followed him through the house as he led her into the kitchen. She barely registered the number of rooms, or the wall paper, or any furnishings of any description; she was concentrating solely on the prospect of freedom as her mind ran wild with possibilities. She tried to crush the rush of thoughts as they threatened to overwhelm her, knowing that she had to get the chip out first and then escape. The problem was that knowledge of what you should do, or how you should behave, or what might happen, doesn't always mean that you can control what you want or imagine or hope. It was difficult enough trying not to think about Seth without trying not to think about the possibility of freedom.

They entered the kitchen, a modern steel affair that had no personal touch and was almost sterile in its orderliness. It seemed icy and unwelcome as if it were forbidden to even be allowed to set foot in it. She was inclined to ask when he'd actually last come in but it was a faint niggling thought at the back of her mind, foremost was concentrating on getting the chip out of her arm. The cold air brushed her skin and made a small shiver race through her. The absence of heat in the room added to the unfriendly atmosphere and she couldn't help but wonder how Seth was coping with it wearing as little as he was…again she was forced to pull her mind back to the task at hand as it strayed.

Seth strolled over to the knife rack and with practiced movements eased a kitchen knife from its holder. His eyes strayed back to look at Maria and she approached him carefully stopping a few feet from him.

"So where's the chip? Where does the cut have to be made?"

Seth moved closer to her and placed a finger over the spot on her arm.

"Right here."

Icy metal touched her skin over the spot and her eyes darted to Seth as he pressed the flat of the blade against her. His eyes met hers mockingly.

"How desperate are you?" he hissed. "You let me get this close to you with a knife!" He moved the blade so it was pressed to her neck and her breath hitched slightly. Maria shut her eyes so she didn't have to look at him betraying her again.

"Maybe I just trust you more than you think I do," she replied quietly. "My mistake."

The presence of the knife was removed from her throat and she opened her eyes slowly to look at him.

"What game are you playing now?" she whispered to him.

Slowly Seth placed the weapon on the counter next to him and met her eyes. The intensity of his gaze at once robbed her breath and scared her a little. His eyes were smoky grey and shifting under the artificial light. Gently he brushed a hand over her check, and then leaned in and kissed her.

"You were wrong," he told her as he drew away from her, "I wasn't just acting to manipulate you. I do really care about you." He rested his forehead against hers and shut his eyes. "What you said on the plane got to me. It made me realise…and then in the car when I saw you truly afraid for the first time…and then in the cell, when they…" He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her to him, holding her close. Maria leaned her head against his chest and shut her eyes, savouring the moment. The voice in her head that told her he was dangerous was swiftly silenced as she let him embrace her.

"Don't talk about it," she begged him. "Please. I want to forget."

"I didn't know what they were going to do," he whispered. "It's why I let your father go. So that he could get you out before they did anything…worse…"

Maria hushed him and pressed her lips to his again, until they drew apart and she rested back against him.

The silence in the house descended on them and covered them like a shroud as the only noise that broke the stillness was the two of them breathing in the cold dead kitchen in the middle of the night.

"Why did you come after me in the nightclub?" she shattered the stillness with the question that had burned inside her since that night. It was the reason she'd come to him, despite what she'd told her father and she asked it now. "Why did you kiss me?"

His grip on her tightened and then he released her slightly so that he could look down into her eyes as he spoke. "That kiss was different to the other one we'd shared in the warehouse. All my memory of kissing you was shattered by pain and betrayal. That's not what I wanted the memory to be. I wanted a kiss without regret. One pure moment with nothing else but us…that's what I wanted. That's why."

Maria drew away from Seth and smiled weakly at him. Emotions, she decided, were strange things. She was standing in the arms of the man who should have been hunting her, who had chased her since she was young. He had seemed so cruel that the she found the compassion in him almost surprising. She knew that it had always been there or else being attracted to him would have seemed ridiculous. As more years had passed, as he had pursued her, she had learnt more of him and found herself inevitably drawn to him. Even so, she had never imagined that she would be standing in his house, wrapped securely in his arms.

"Come on," he suddenly said firmly and picked up the knife. "Let's get rid of this chip." Slowly he ran a hand over her upped arm and stopped at one spot. "This is going to hurt."

Maria's face was emotionless.

"Don't worry about that. I can deal with the pain."

Seth flicked the knife so the blade cut skin and blood welled up, trickling down the length of her arm. Maria barely winced. The sharp sting of pain disappeared and became another part of her. She watched with distant eyes as the chip was removed. Seth placed it on the side and met her look.

"Maria?" he asked, seeing her blank expression.

Slowly Maria's face cleared as she pushed back the whispering voice and smiled at Seth.

"It's nothing," she muttered. Her gaze dropped to the cut and Seth followed it. A small gasp escaped his lips as he saw the silver flash and the flesh started to knit back together.

"It didn't do that at headquarters," he breathed.

"No," Maria replied almost sadly, "I was deeply afraid then and unhappy. It would appear that I find it more difficult to heal then." She studied Seth's face for any traces of fear but all she saw was amazement and a lingering curiosity.

"You're not scared of me?"

Seth started in surprise and his eyes flew to hers.

"Of course not."

A gentler tone crept into his voice, warm and comforting.

"My dear Maria, I know exactly what you are and what you can do. I've been hunting you for four years." He ran his fingers over her skin around the wound. "It isn't normal for a human but it's nonetheless fascinating, and eerily beautiful."

Maria smiled at him and leaned in to kiss him again when all her senses suddenly started flaring. A warning note vibrated straight through her with its companion tension and she froze.

Seth frowned down at her, "What is it?"

"Well isn't this touching," a voice chuckled from the doorway.

Seth spun to face the intruder, one arm still wrapped around Maria's waist, pulling her to him.

"Ryan," he snarled.

A figure emerged from the doorway of the kitchen, entering into the cold hostility of the room. Maria gasped as she recognised the bent and broken face that haunted her nightmares, a face that had flashed up from a long suppressed memory of the night her mother was killed. This man had been the one who had hunted her father…and killed his loved one. A shudder passed through her and she clutched Seth more tightly.

"How did you get in here?" Seth growled.

"You of all people should know our methods by now," Ryan replied smoothly. His eyes were two pools of glacial ice and they chilled Maria to the bone.

"Now this is an interesting turn of events," he continued, eyes travelling from Seth to Maria, lingering on her far longer than necessary with the hungry look of a predator. "We never suspected that our protégée would go soft." He sighed in mock sadness. "You were so promising Seth. I thought we taught you better than this." His icy gaze watched them holding each other, the angry young man standing defiant and the bold, yet still frightened, girl standing next to him. Her hands were on him, drawing strength, but she still stood slightly apart, as she had lived for so long before that night.

"You know it was falling for someone that slowed your father down," he told Maria. "it ultimately resulted in her death."

He drew out a gun and levelled it at the couple.

"Now are you going to return to us Maria or are we going to have to kill Seth here?"

Seth sneered, "I'm not stupid Ryan. You plan to kill me anyway. A member gone rogue who knows as many of your secrets as I do cannot be allowed to live."

A sly glint came into Ryan's eyes.

"That maybe the case but it would be better to keep you alive and have leverage over our subject." He glanced at Maria again and gave a grotesque, distorted smile. "There is also talk of breeding the two of you in order to observe offspring, third generation."

Breeding? Maria felt sick. Breeding like she was some sort of animal to be observed and studied. Her father had been so right to try and protect her from this and even after her experience there she had never considered that they viewed her like this, as something so totally inhuman that they wanted to breed her like a species of animal.

"Now come nice and quietly."

Maria felt panic streaming through her blood. She could not go back there. She could not! Not to those white walls, watching eyes and glittering silver blades. Her head went light.

"NOW!" Ryan barked and jerked the gun at them.

Maria gave a small sigh and took a step forward just as the window exploded in a shower of glass.

Warnings went off in her head as the shards spun through the air in glittering arcs and clicked on the surfaces of the kitchen. A figure moved through them, landing in the centre of the room.

Two guns went off simultaneously.

Maria staggered backwards as she felt the wetness of blood seep through her top.

Ryan dropped to the floor, eyes glazing over in death, a bullet lodged in his head.

The figure rose from its crouch, holding the gun loosely in one hand as it reached her side.

Seth was holding her from behind…and she was lying on the floor…how did she…? The pain was being absorbed by the voice but she could see blood leaking from the wound.

"Robert?" she whispered in confusion, seeing her father checking the bullet wound.

"There isn't time," he muttered. "His confederates are nearby. They'll be here in a moment."

Robert pressed something to the skin to stem the blood flow.

"You must get her away," he handed some keys over to Seth. "My car is parked two streets away. It's a black BMW. There's a map on the passenger seat that leads to my place. Take her there and hopefully I'll join you. If I'm not there by morning you must take the bullet out yourself."

Seth took the keys.

"What are you…?"

"I'm going to stay here and cause a considerable delay so that you can escape. Don't argue," he snapped as Seth opened his mouth, "just get her out of here."

Maria felt herself being lifted and looked distantly around the kitchen. No longer sterile it was a mess of blood and shattered glass, with a corpse adorning the doorway.

Her vision faded in and out as she was carried. The pain kept breaking past the part of her mind that suppressed it and swamping her so she blacked out. The times it was smothered she felt like she could walk, though her strength dwindled through blood loss. The harsh voice was droning on and on at her and she didn't have the strength to shut it up or push it back. She remembered the cold air of outside and then the metallic smell of being inside a car. The air was strangely cold, not the freshness of outside but stagnant, but it grew warmer. There was the movement of the car, vibrations passing through her and then the cold air again and finally a room. She was laid on a bed and it seemed the voice considered her safe because it shut up and she fell into a fevered sleep.

-----

When she woke up Seth was sitting on a hard wooden chair next to her bed. He was alert and tense, a gun sitting on a small table next to him. He was clothed in what she recognised as one of Robert's tops and a pair of his trousers. She remembered that Seth had been wearing practically nothing when they were attacked. Had he got her all the way here just wearing pyjama trousers?

"You're awake," he stated, meeting her gaze with his own worried ones.

Maria tried to move and winced as pain shot through her. The dull throb flared up and the voice started to whisper again, taking away the awareness of the pain. She gave a small groan and Seth leaned over her.

"Don't move," he told her, handing her some water. Maria felt the smooth cool glass under her fingers and after letting it wet her parched throat she pressed it to her burning forehead.

"What time is it?"

"Nearly dawn," Seth replied curtly, getting to his feet and twitching the edges of the curtain. "Your father's still not back."

"Robert?" Maria frowned and removed the glass. "What could he be doing?" Worry flashed through her as she realised that he'd once again put himself in a compromising position to keep her safe.

"Why do you call him Robert?" The question surprised her as it emerged from Seth's corner. "Why not father, daddy, any of those?" He turned to look at her in the dim light of the room. Maria noticed that it was practically only the bed, the chair, the table, and very little else. "Is it some sort of protection?"

Maria put her hand near to the tender gaping flesh of the wound on her chest as if to check it was still there. Pain washed through her again and the voice told her, in its robotic deadpan way, to leave it alone while it kept the pain dull and worked on burning away the infection.

"No, I just never considered him much of a father. I blamed him for my mother's death, and I guess he never really knew how to properly raise a child. I resented being constantly moved from school to school and not being like the other kids and I guess I blamed him for that too." Maria glanced at her hands. "I was the product of a one night stand. I went for years not having Robert around so I never really thought of him as my dad."

Seth sat down in the chair again and fixed with his steel eyes.

"He seems to be proving himself an able father at the moment.

"Maria nodded.

"Yes, I owe him a lot. Regardless of what I thought before, I know now that he always acted like a father would…always."

The door opened and Seth lurched for the gun, but it was Robert. He stood in a torn, bloodied shirt with red staining his trousers in streaks.

"I apologise for the accommodation," he said and shut the door, bolting it. Slowly he peeled off his top to reveal a horrific jagged scar across his belly, healed in a raised white ridge. Maria had already seen it before; her attention went to the new wounds on Robert's skin. Most were just cuts and scratches but he still bled sluggishly from a deep stab wound in his side.

"Robert…"

He shrugged and went to a bag at the edge of the room. Slowly he took out various items from it and tended to the injury, finally slapping some gauze over it and pulling on the old shirt again.

"No point putting on a fresh one," he muttered to himself and caught Maria's concerned look. "Bugger just got too close," he told her. "Took me by surprise. Don't worry. You know I'm a fast healer, much faster than you anyway. Now…" he came towards the couple. "Let's have a look at this."

Maria couldn't watch as she felt metal slice her skin and something inside her looking for the bullet. Robert had done this so many times on himself she had to trust him. A whimper escaped her throat and she gripped Seth's hand tightly.

"Found it," Robert grunted and drew out the offending piece of metal.

A gasp came from Seth.

"What's that?!"

Maria looked at the bloodied area and almost fainted, but she managed to glimpse through the gaping angry flesh a metal glimmer.

"That," Robert said, "is a metallic plate of some kind." He seemed to be almost surprised in his tone as if he's known of its existence and finally seen proof. "It's part of what makes us not human. I'm not sure what it is but I think its some sort of body armour. It stops bullets from reaching our vital organs."

He stopped speaking and pressed the edges of the wound together, he added a few rough stitches and bound it up.

"Until now," he added, "I wasn't even sure Maria had one."

----

Maria took another day before Robert decided she should be allowed to move. Seth still vehemently disagreed but was over-ruled by the two more experienced fugitives.

"Thank you Robert," she addressed her father as she sat on the bed. He was checking through the bags. Seth had gone out to retrieve the car.

Her father shrugged.

"I suspected you might get into trouble so I came back to keep an eye on you." His shoulders tensed and a strange tone crept into his voice. "I killed Ryan. Finally. That score is settled…and I got even with some of those Suits." He scowled and chuckled darkly. "Those ones won't be hunting us again."

Maria dropped her head and examined her hands.

"Well I just wanted to thank you anyway…dad." The word felt strange and rough coming out of her mouth as if she had no right to say it.

Robert turned to look at her. There was a strange expression on his face but he just nodded.

"Then you're welcome." There was no inflection in his voice that registered what she'd said. He shrugged the bag onto his back and headed for the door. "Let's go join Seth."


	7. Airport

**A/N Thank you for reading guys. Sorry that it took so long to get this last one up.**

* * *

Epilogue: the airport

The three parted ways at the airport. Robert planned on flying to Ireland and journeying from there. Seth and Maria were flying to America and planning on taking a car across the states.

"Are you sure about this?" Robert checked, glancing between the couple. "It's more difficult to hide two."

Maria smiled. "We'll be fine. Seth knows their methods. We can stay hidden better, until they think of new ways to follow us."

The last call for his plane was made and Robert picked up his bag. He never bothered with proper farewells but instead looked at Seth.

"Take care of her."

The man nodded and put his arm around Maria's shoulders.

Maria saw disapproval flash through Robert's eyes. She knew he didn't like the fact that she was with anyone, especially not one of the ones who had previously hunted them. He had long ago told Maria that such was their lives that everyone they cared about ended up hurt, but she and Seth were willing to take the risk. Regardless of his feelings on the matter Robert was not prepared to say anything to her, and for that Maria was thankful.

It wasn't until Robert had gotten onto his flight and she was left standing next to Seth that the full realisation struck her.

She was no longer alone.

With a smile slipping onto her face her hand crept into Seth's and held it tightly.

"Come on," she whispered, "let's get out of here."

She could not have foreseen this happening. There is no way of predicting the future, except to make an educated guess as to how events might unfold. The future is unpredictable and lucid, almost subject to the whims of something as tiny as a butterfly's wing and the last few weeks of Maria's life had been as chaotic as a storm tossed sea. There was no way she could have known events would happen as they had done. They say ignorance is bliss and certainly not knowing how her hunters would treat her was better for her in the short term, but now she was more alert, more appreciative of the little freedom she had. Knowing that she was like her father was also a burden but also a relief, at least she ran for a reason rather than on a suspicion and the knowledge that she was inhuman made her rejection by people easier to bear, if only slightly. It made her all the more grateful for Seth.

As the plane lifted off the concrete, carrying her and Seth away to safer ground she decided that ignorance might be bliss but she much preferred knowing.


End file.
